Is Online Gambling Legal in Iowa?

What Gambling Is Legal in Maine

Is online gambling legal in Maine? Let’s get into more details now. 

Online Casino in Maine: Legal, Not Yet Launched

This is the one most pages get wrong. LD 1164 passed the legislature in June 2025. Governor Janet Mills let it become law without her signature. That happened on January 10, 2026, making the state authorize Maine online casino gaming. 

The law took effect in July, but still, no site has actually gone live. The Maine Gambling Control Unit still has to finalize rules. It also needs to approve licenses and test platforms before anyone can play for real money.

Sports Betting in Maine: Legal and Live Since 2023

Is sports betting legal in Maine? Yes, and it has been for a while. 

Mills signed LD 585 on May 2, 2022. The market didn't actually launch until November 3, 2023, though, after a long rulemaking process. You have to be 21 and physically in Maine to place a bet at licensed sportsbooks.

Daily Fantasy Sports in Maine: Legal

DFS is legal too, and it's been that way for a while now. It runs under that same Gambling Control Unit that handles sports betting. So it doesn't have its own separate rulebook. 

That's in fact simpler than what you'll find in a lot of other states, where fantasy sports sometimes falls under a fully different set of regulations.

Sweepstakes Casinos in Maine: Banned Since July 2026

Mills signed LD 2007 on April 6, 2026. That made Maine the second state that year to ban sweepstakes casinos outright, right after Indiana. The law took effect in mid-July 2026. It specifically targets dual-currency platforms, the kind where you buy one type of coin and redeem a different one for cash-equivalent prizes. 

Fines run $10,000 to $100,000 per violation. Any licensed Maine gambling operator caught running or promoting one loses their license entirely.

Prediction Markets: Federal, Not State

You may already know that the CFTC regulates prediction markets federally. That means it treats platforms like Limitless, Polymarket, and Kalshi as event-contract exchanges. Maine law has no authority over this category at all. 

So, unlike more than a dozen other states, Maine hasn't sent a single cease-and-desist letter or filed a lawsuit against either platform. States like Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Michigan have gone after some of these companies aggressively this year. Maine, so far, has simply stayed out of the fight entirely.

The Legal Gambling Age in Maine

The legal age for gambling is 21, and it covers sports betting and casino gaming. The Maine Lottery drops that down to 18, the same age you'll need for daily fantasy sports under current Gambling Control Unit rules.

Who Regulates Gambling in Maine

The Maine Gambling Control Unit

Two regulatory bodies are legal in Maine: the Maine Gambling Control Unit in the Department of Public Safety, and the Gambling Control Board.

The former handles sports betting, DFS, and Internet gaming. As for the Gambling Control Board, it regulates two retail casinos. The Unit is a small agency that writes licensing rules, approves licenses, and tests platforms before it goes live.

None cover prediction market operators such as Kalshi. These platforms are regulated federally by the CFTC.

How to File a Complaint

So, where to file a complaint exactly? 

Complaints about a licensed sportsbook or fantasy operator go straight to the Gambling Control Unit.

Where to Get Help in Maine

If gambling is no longer fun, or if you or someone you know is struggling, help is available 24/7. Call 1-800-GAMBLER for responsible gambling guidelines or to get professsional help.

Where You Can Bet in Maine

The Two Live Sportsbooks

Maine runs a small sportsbook field. Only DraftKings and Caesars Sportsbook operate here.  Each is tied to a tribal partner. Caesars partnered with three of the four Wabanaki Nations: the Penobscot, the Maliseet, and the Mi'kmaq. Still, DraftKings partnered with the fourth, the Passamaquoddy Tribe.

Why FanDuel Is Not Here

Is FanDuel legal in Maine? Not as a sportsbook, but as a DFS operator.  FanDuel runs a sportsbook in most other legal states. However, Maine's tribal-exclusive structure never gave it a way in, though.  That could change once the online casino market actually opens, if a tribe decides to partner with them there instead.

The Four Reserved Casino Licenses

One license per tribe: 

• the Penobscot Nation, 
• the Passamaquoddy Tribe, 
• the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, and 
• the Mi'kmaq Nation. 

Each can partner with exactly one commercial operator once the market launches. Maine's two commercial casinos, Oxford Casino and Hollywood Casino Bangor, are completely excluded from online gaming. That exclusion is exactly what's now being challenged in court.

Tax on Gambling Winnings in Maine

Maine State Tax on Winnings

What about taxes here?  Maine taxes gambling winnings as ordinary income across three brackets: 5.8%, 6.75%, and 7.15%.

The New 2% Surcharge

The state added a 2% surcharge this year on very high earners. Governor Mills signed it April 10, 2026, as part of the state's supplemental budget, backdated to January 1, 2026.  It applies to taxable income above $1 million for single filers, and above $1.5 million for joint filers and heads of household. That pushes the effective top rate to 9.15% for anyone crossing that threshold. It's expected to affect roughly 2,600 filers statewide.

What You Still Owe Federally

Once the online casino launches, that revenue gets taxed at 18%.  That's a charge on the tribal licensee, not on you. Federal tax applies on top of your state rate regardless.

General information only; not tax advice.

What Happens Next in Maine

What Is Still Needed Before Launch

The law itself is done. What's left is entirely regulatory. The Gambling Control Unit has to finalize its rules.  It also needs to review license applications and test gaming platforms before anything goes live. Given how small the Unit is, a realistic launch window is late 2026 or early 2027, not sooner.

The Legal Challenge

Churchill Downs, which owns Oxford Casino, has sued the Gambling Control Unit's director directly.  The argument? The tribal-exclusive model shuts out every other operator based on race and citizenship. Notably, this challenge could reshape who's allowed to operate here. It doesn't threaten the law's underlying legality, though.

The Sweepstakes Ban

This one was covered above already, but it's worth a quick recap here too. LD 2007 took effect in mid-July 2026, banning dual-currency sweepstakes casinos outright.  Penalties run as high as $100,000 per violation. Any current Maine operator caught running or promoting one doesn't just face a fine. They could lose their license entirely.

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